


the millions of moments that made us

by treetrunkdaddy



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drabble Collection, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Original Character(s), Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:01:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29033592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treetrunkdaddy/pseuds/treetrunkdaddy
Summary: You came to the valley, all energy and chaos and charm. You were too much to bear - then too much to bear to be away from.Or; short ficlets organized in a sort-of linear fashion (with some exceptions) of how Sebastian and the Farmer grew to be together.
Relationships: Sebastian (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s), Sebastian (Stardew Valley)/Original Female Character(s), Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Sebastian/Player (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!! There's a few things I wanna say before you get into this story here:
> 
> \- a Fem!OC is named and some descriptions are given, but I don't mind at all if you wanna substitute those in your head and treat this as a self-insert. I would be honored, actually. Live your dreams.  
> \- I uhhhh...... haven't actually played or watched anybody play Stardew Valley, nor have I looked up any spoilers or anything. I just fell in love with Sebastian normally??? Then yoinked him and started self-shipping? I still respect canon material of course! I just. Might be missing a few details here and there lol  
> \- A lot of this is going to be based off of me / my hometown. What can I say? Middle of nowhere gang rise up!! This is self-indulgent to the max and this point only exacerbates the whole "never played/watched someone play the game" thing.
> 
> HOWEVER....i do plan on playing eventually and of course I'm always down to hear what you have to say! I just wanted to let you all know that in this story you will see first hand that i'm....an idiot.
> 
> Thanks for readin!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian would remember their first meeting as something else entirely, but Joy might remember this for all of eternity.

Letting the plastic basket slide to the crook of her elbow, Joy pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed.

In the small general store, there wasn’t much of a variety available to choose from - she would be lucky to find more than two brands of canned goods in front of her. Still, Joy found herself indecisive as she scanned the shelves as if this was a paramount decision her life depended on it. Would the cashier try to read her and dissect her life by her purchases? If she tried to throw them off, would they judge her by purchasing too much? 

Her racing thoughts were giving her a headache - or maybe it was her grinding teeth. Either way, Joy was certain she was digging her own social grave before she even had a chance to do anything in town.

Behind her, she heard someone shift and nearly jumped out of her skin. Whipping her head around, she stopped short when she noticed the person behind her. Against the natural, earthy tones of the wooden shelves around them, he seemed like an endless void with his dark hair, dark eyes and darker clothes. The expression he gave her was blank, or maybe a little irritated, but it was enough to send a flurry of nerves scattering around Joy's insides.

"Oh, um- how- I'm-" She started, a million different apologies tumbling over her tongue until none of them could slip out. The person in front of her didn't change his expression, but something about the way he shifted told her he was rolling his eyes on the inside.

"I know it's a tough decision, but some of us have already made up our minds," He interjected, scanning the shelves with his eyes for all of two seconds before locking on to what he wanted. Without a word, Joy stepped back and stared at the ground as he reached for the can, doing her best to keep her embarrassed flush down. He didn't say anything as he strolled past her, grabbing a few more stray items before reaching the counter to pay.

"You've made friends with the new farmer," Joy heard someone say humorously. Despite not knowing if the sarcasm-laden tone was for her or the stranger, she cringed anyway and lost to the blush forcing its way to her cheeks.

The man with dark hair gave a disinterested, "Oh," as the chimes of a register could be heard. A second later, she heard him give a half-hearted, "Well, welcome to town."

As if he could see her, she nodded, stuck in place as her shame ate her alive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian was ~~forced~~ sent on an errand to retrieve something from the farmer. Of course, she made it more difficult than it should have been.

Sebastian huffed and dug his hands deeper into the pockets of his sweatshirt, feeling the collar dig into the back of his neck. Shaking his head slightly, he did his best to relax as his shoes scuffed against the dry dirt path. Ahead of him, he saw the old farm that had been abandoned for what seemed like forever, looking a little more lively yet just as dilapidated as ever. The surrounding land looked as if there had been an effort to clean up, but the brush was still scraggly and a few sticks and rocks jutted up from the uneven earth.

When he stepped on the wooden porch, it groaned beneath his weight, giving him pause as he examined the weakened board. Making a conscious effort to press forward on light feet, he looked at the front door and realized it was slightly ajar. Cautiously, he knocked lightly on the doorframe and waited, listening to the faint shuffling coming from inside the house. Briefly, he mused over how messy this new farmer was, turning to look over his shoulder at the messy field once more. Even if it would be short-lived, watching how she made her progress (if she did at all) might prove interesting.

Waiting a few seconds longer, Sebastian huffed and knocked again even louder. There was a soft yelp before the farmer called, “Come in!” A soft crash soon followed as Sebastian pushed past the creaky doors and made his way through the small house. For the most part, the rooms were set up as if the house had been lived in for years - which, with her grandfather, it had been. However, there were now boxes scattered all over the place, with a few blankets and pillows tossed on the sofa in a makeshift bed. 

The farmer suddenly popped up from behind a large box, her hair flying around before settling in a messy brown mop. As she adjusted her glasses, she barely spared Sebastian a glance before diving into the box and rummaging around. Her hands came out empty, and the groan she let out told Sebastian exactly how frustrated she was.

“Hi,” She finally sighed, forcing herself to her feet and half-heartedly smoothing her hair that was as frizzy as she was frazzled. Looking at him properly, she grinned and stuck out a hand. “You’re...Sebastian, right? I think I’m getting a hang of the names around here, at least.”

With an unamused expression, Sebastian made no move to take her hand. Though she looked dejected, the farmer lowered her hand a few seconds later. “You’re Joy, right?” Sebastian asked. The farmer nodded, averting her eyes and peering in another opened box at her feet. Without her looking, Sebastian had no problem sniffing the air, grimacing when he realized that what he came for probably wasn’t going to be anything he left with. “Uh, my mom sent me to pick up that pie you were supposed to have for her…”

The farmer - Joy, right - whipped her head around again. “Already? What time is it?”

“Like, two?” Joy grumbled under her breath, stooping back down to rummage through another box on the ground. Not sure what he was meant to be doing, Sebastian’s eyes wandered to the small kitchen, gaze zeroing in on the...lovingly cut crust spread out on plastic wrap and a rich, dark filling in a plastic bowl. 

Having followed his gaze, Joy sighed. “Yeah, I may have let the time run away from me a bit. I just haven’t had time to unpack myself, and for some reason I had clothes in the pots and pans box, so now I’m trying to find the real pots and pans box but all I can find are boxes and boxes of clothes I don’t even remember owning-” Threading her own fingers through her hair and pulling, Joy looked around her in exasperation. “I’m really sorry, but you might have to go and tell your mom that I don’t have the pie yet because I can’t find this stupid pan!”

The option to leave presented itself to Sebastian rather nicely. The farmer was irritable and too wrapped up in her frustration to really notice how impolite it would be for him to leave. Sebastian didn’t even want to be her in the first place, and he was sure his mom would understand that Joy was a bit frazzled with her big move. But a little voice inside him told him to look at all the boxes, reminding him that he didn’t want to go home in the first place and his friends were busy. He was always complaining about nothing happening in town, so why was he pushing away something that was finally new?

Sebastian called the little voice inside his head stupid, but gave in anyway. “I can help, if you want.”

Joy paused, staring intently into the box she was searching for before bouncing up with stars in her eyes. The energy on this girl was...a lot, Sebastian decided. Maybe a few steps away from infuriating. But she already had her hopes up, and he accepted that he had plans for the rest of the day, whether he liked it or not.

\---

Two hours later, after rummaging through a startling amount of stuff and watching the farmer bake two pies (she got a little excited when she started making the filling, she said and left it at that), Sebastian watched Joy pack up the pie they hadn’t gotten into neatly, preparing it for his journey home. 

“Do you have a specific time for me to bring the pan back?” Sebastian asked, noting how she neatly knotted a cloth around the pie. Even if she came here with far too much stuff - stuff that Sebastian was now intimately familiar with - and even if she seemed as excitable and energetic as someone from the city (too excitable and energetic), there were certain quirks about her that seemed to fit right in at Pelican Town. These habits would be boring from anybody else, but from her…

Well. It was still boring, but it was enough to catch his attention, even for a moment. Sebastian decided not to dwell on the thought for any longer.

“No, just whenever you’re done with it,” Joy answered, admiring her handiwork before sliding it over to him on the counter. Sebastian picked it up gingerly, subconsciously wanting to avoid messing up the presentation she worked so hard on.

“Alright. Just make sure to put this in the cupboards when you get it back and not the closet,” He responded without thinking. There was no indignant gasp behind him, no glare that he could practically feel boring into his shoulder blades - instead, Joy only laughed.

“Yeah, thanks for the tip,” She said, following him to the door. When she finally looked over the yard in the late-daylight, her face fell at the mess and she looked at the ground again. “Sorry about the mess. I don’t know how that ended up in my sweaters, it’s just...been a chaotic move.”

Now would be a good time to offer some advice, or some words of camaraderie after their hours of housework together. Perhaps that was why he felt so awkward, like everything had been bubbling up before promptly fizzing out and falling flat. He looked from the pie in his hand to Joy, then past her shoulder in the general direction of the kitchen where he knew the rest of the pie they ate was sitting. With a shrug, he mumbled, “Pie’s good. It’ll make up for it.”

He left before she could thank him for his work, or the weird half-comfort he gave, or anything. By the look on her face, she had a whole slew of thanks to give, but that wasn’t Sebastian was here for. He came for a pie and he left with a pie, even if there was a little detour he had to take. He was not there to befriend the farmer, and he made sure to turn before he saw that dejected little face of hers again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The land belonged to everyone, yet she managed to find a way to view herself as the intruder.

The summer heat may have been sweltering, but the chill that settled after dusk was just as permeating. That wasn’t exactly a negative thing, though. With all the change that had swept Joy off her feet in the past few weeks, it felt nice that the chill might stick around for a while.

She sighed, the noise swept away by the creaking branches around her as they shook in the wind. Leave it to her to feel completely overwhelmed in a town where nothing happens.

Ownership of the woods surrounding Joy’s farm was still up in the air at this point, though with the stories she heard floating around town, she figured whoever _did_ own the area (if such a person existed) would be fine to accept her claims of being lost and send her on her way. Besides, she didn’t plan on straying too far from the farm. She just needed something familiar, and these trees stood just as tall and proud as the ones in her memories. They framed the images in her mind that predated even her time in the city, standing like old friends that she had never actually met before.

She walked along beaten footpaths in silence, listening to the shrill of the cicadas and a distant chorus of croaking frogs, lost in no particular thought as she stared ahead. Under the cover of the trees, the shadows stretched further and darker than normal, blocking out the partial moon. Her gaze was unfocused, too, so she nearly missed the vague person-shape that suddenly appeared ahead of her. Once she saw it, her blood froze in her veins, her feet scraping against the dirt as she stopped just a few feet away.

For a moment, Joy convinced herself that the black shadow was a small tree, one where the branches had been broken off or hadn’t yet grown out in their massive outreach. However, she watched as one “branch” moved up and stilled near the top of the shadow, a small puff of smoke appearing a moment later. Two thoughts joined in her mind as she stared at the figure that hadn’t yet noticed her presence: a sudden stroke of fear at being alone with an unidentified person in an unfamiliar forest, and the overwhelming concern that she would be bothering whoever it was before her. Both thoughts compelled her to leave, but the moment she moved her foot, a loose stone tumbled away from her and forced her down the uneven ground until she stumbled closer to the figure.

As Joy tried to catch her balance, the figure turned to give her a startled glance. Sebastian’s pale face almost seemed to glow compared to his dark ensemble and the shadows surrounding them, a comment Joy decided to keep to herself. At the memory of their earlier meeting at the general store, an uncomfortable warmth crept up to her cheeks. Sebastian either couldn’t see it or didn’t care enough to comment, and the distinction didn’t seem important enough to decide. After he blinked at her, his expression slowly flattened to the unamused gaze Joy assumed she’d get used to. Another moment passed, and he turned away to stare at the small creek before them, bringing the cigarette to his lips again.

“Nice night for a stroll,” He muttered in disinterest, an awkward attempt at a greeting. 

“Hey. Yeah,” Joy agreed, balling her fists and bouncing them at her sides, standing just as cloddish as him. _Ah, well, you get what you give,_ she figured, eyes darting to the side. As if trying to find a way out of the forest with only one man who would seem to welcome her departure was some strategy-intensive decision. “I...really don’t want to bother you, so I’m going to go…”

Joy turned left on her heel without waiting for acknowledgement, following the path she took to get here. For a moment, she could feel a silent judgement coming from behind her, but she still jumped when she heard his voice.

“Are you going back to your farm?”

“...Yes?”

Sebastian pointed behind him. “It’s more that way.”

“Ah.” Staring at the space he pointed to, Joy decided she’d have no way to know if he was fooling her and figured she must’ve turned herself around somehow. “Right. Thanks.”

Having made a joke of herself for a second time, Joy cringed as she picked her way through the grass in the direction Sebastian pointed, each crunch beneath her feet a reminder of her (probably super embarrassing?) presence. Once she found her way to the makeshift path, plants beaten beneath the foot traffic, she stopped, wondering if a final goodbye was in order. Sebastian beat her to speaking, though.

"Is it true?" He asked, his tone even. Joy turned to see him watching her, not entirely unkind but a certain sharpness in his gaze, like he was trying to decipher her.

"Is what true?" 

"Do you really not know if you're staying?"

"I-" She started, her face relaxing as she mentally scrambled for an answer. Her ajar mouth closed when the rest of her face morphed into confusion. "Wait, how do you know about that? I never told anybody!"

"Please, people around here can sniff out drama the moment it starts to peak out." Sebastian watched the smoke puff up from the end of his cigarette in front of him. "We can smell fear, too. Best be wary of us all." 

Joy laughed, even though Sebastian wasn't entirely joking. A soft breeze brushed across them, and Joy reached to rub her arms as she was before. She looked past Sebastian, watching as the creek caught the slim starlight, the only sign aside from the quiet trickle that the water was even moving. “I don’t know,” She finally answered with a shrug. “It’s nice here for sure, but there’s a lot I’d be leaving behind too. I wasn’t expecting to put everything on hold…”

“I get it,” Sebastian answered, even if he didn’t, not in the way she was thinking. 

“I’ll have to make a decision soon, though. There are due dates for paperwork, semesters I’ll need to plan. God, I don’t even know if there’s a way to formally drop out…” Sebastian raised an eyebrow. Semesters? Paperwork? He hadn’t paid much attention to the gossip surrounding the new person in town, but there was more to her than he had heard. She didn’t notice, though, and instead huffed out a laugh, the first sign of the stress she had been under that she had allowed to slip through. “Why? Did you want to be the first to know?”

Sebastian responded with a huff of his own, the dry kind that was somewhere between a laugh and a real huff. “We’ll all probably find out at the same time. News travels fast, as you’ve found out.”

“Yeah, I’m beginning to remember that,” She answered. The two of them spent a moment staring out at nothing, wondering about the little hints the other unintentionally dropped but not knowing how to prod further. With a final sigh, Joy let her hands drop and gently slapped her thighs as they fell. “Well, good night, then.”

Sebastian didn’t answer with words, instead turning back to watch the creek aimlessly. He really couldn’t blame her for wanting to leave town - after all, wasn’t that his goal, too? Still, he had felt something bitter churn inside him as she spoke of leaving so casually. Maybe he was jealous that somebody could take his dream and treat it like it was so easy to throw away despite how hard he tried to achieve that same thing. Or maybe living here has just allowed some of that small town pride to rub off on him against his best efforts.

 _Whatever._ It wasn’t like it mattered, anyway. She’d stay or she’d leave, and things would turn out the same either way. With that thought, he threw his cigarette down and made sure to stomp it out, certain that her decision would lead to the farm’s abandonment again.

Nothing interesting ever stayed in Pelican Town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I mentioned briefly in the beginning that I was kinda going off on my own imagination adventure, but just another heads up that I'm just sorta creating my own backstory with this farmer. Joja Corp is also a part of it and it's nothing grand that changes (what i know of) the story but. Yeah. Hehe. (I'm just adding a whole School backstory because that's what MY life revolves around!! And i like it :3)
> 
> Also this fic is not only ridiculously self-indulgent, it's also a little love letter to my hometown! So some things (a lot of things) will be based off of things I did growing up or still do because I just think it's neat!!!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian is a bit of a rebel, and Joy is anything but.
> 
> ...But does that really have to mean anything?

“What’s something that you would love to do if there was nothing holding you back?”

Joy hummed, moving her glass in small circles on the wooden table and watching as the beer gently reached up the sides. Her drink was mostly full: though she didn’t mention it to anyone, she didn’t like coffee and she didn’t like beer, but sitting and nursing a single mug of alcohol only made her look like a lightweight instead of a killjoy. Abigail leaned her head on one hand and watched, patiently waiting for the answers to her game. She had finally managed to catch the farmer when she wasn’t running around trying to get her affairs in order, and it seemed she wouldn’t be letting Joy go any time soon.

“Like, as a job?” Joy finally asked. “Or as a throwaway, bucket-list thing?”

“As a job.” There was a silent reasoning hovering between them, something like You can learn more by what a person could endure their whole life than by their wildest impulses.

Joy nodded and drummed her fingers against the side of her glass. “Probably something like...urban exploring. I used to watch videos like that online all the time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. There’s something about big, abandoned buildings...I just want to walk through them and explore, that’s all.”

Abigail took the moment of silence to finish off her drink, setting the mug down with a solid _clink_ when she was done and staring at Joy intently. The longer she wordlessly watched, the more Joy wondered if she was drunk and she'd have to find a way to make sure Abigail got back home without getting lost. However, the pieces of a plan were clearly falling into place, and Abigail finally reached across the table to grab Joy's wrist.

"I think it's time you formally meet my friends," She said, and she pulled Joy out of the saloon with no further explanation.

\---

Joy stared up at the old factory in awe, noticing how the moon illuminated the building with a silver outline, almost as if it were trying to comfort the four people standing on the ground. The surrounding barbed wire fence and sentry of trees effectively cut them off from the rest of the town: it was like they were lost in their own little world.

Noticing the apprehension on Joy's face, Abigail nudged her shoulder. "So, I take it your own fear was stopping you from living your urban exploration dreams?"

"That and trespassing laws," Joy mumbled, scanning her eyes over the many broken windows. How much broken glass was scattered on the ground? How many rusty nails were waiting to poke them? Was there anybody else hunkering down in there? What was the punishment for trespassing, again?

With an uncaring shrug, Abigail picked her way across the untouched gravel and made her way towards the large metal door. Even from where Joy was standing near the treeline, she could clearly see it was nearly falling off its hinges. Sam, who had spent most of the walk there engaging Joy in a one-sided conversation, followed a second later, the sound of his shoes crunching on the ground fadin with each second. It was only her and Sebastian left, and the thought elicited a sigh from Joy.

"You gonna go?" Sebastian asked, eyes fixed on the path his friends took.

"Aw, what, are you going to wait for me to work through my nerves?"

"No, you just seem as lost as you were before. Figured I could point you in the direction home if you chickened out." With a shrug, he leisurely followed his friends, a silent _but clearly, you're not in the mood for that_ hovering where he stood. Puffing her chest in indignation, Joy huffed and stomped over to follow him, walking a little too close behind him and nearly stepping on his heels. He gave her a questioning look, and she responded, "I don't wanna be caught slipping in."

At that, Sebastian scoffed - and while he didn't sound mean-spirited, there wasn't any trace of fondness or even amusement in his tone. "Nobody's ever going to be out here, and certainly nobody is going to snitch."

"You say that now, but if we get arrested I'm totally blaming you."

A simple roll of his eyes had Joy confident she had effectively Weasley into the banter stage of their acquaintanceship, but she missed the subtle way he bristled. "Yeah, that's normally how it happens around me."

They entered the factory one after the other, the creak from the door making Joy cringe as it settled behind her. An empty gallery stood before them, any equipment having long since been removed. Any spots where the cover of the equipment might have discolored the ground were obscured by random debris, litter and graffiti markings. Up ahead in the middle of the room, Abigail was staring up at the ceiling, turning in slow circles as she grinned.

"So, what did you say this place made again?" Joy asked as she and Sebastian stepped closer. 

"Golf balls or something," Sam answered as Abigail tilted her head down to look at them.

"Yeah, but it didn't last long. The valley isn't exactly the best place for industry." 

"Or anything else," Sebastian murmured as he parted from the group. Before she could try to ask about him, Joy found herself caught up in Abigail and Sam's excitement. They happily talked to her about boring nothings, clearly trying to talk away her nerves as they strolled through the factory. They examined empty filing cabinets and peered into empty rooms until they eventually found a staircase and walked along the second floor and did the same thing. Quickly, all her fear melted away, and soon she was laughing along as Sam nearly screamed at an animal-shaped pile of rubble. 

Once they found a spot where the floor was sagging, the group made their way back to the ground floor where they saw Sebastian focusing intently on the wall. After a moment, he pushed himself off of it and smiled halfheartedly in greeting, wordlessly handing Joy a marker in his hands. She blinked at it before turning towards the wall, where she could see a small blank spot with the word 'SEBASTIAN' on it, surrounded by crude skull doodles and one of a frog. For a moment, she stilled - what on earth was she expected to make her own signature? 

Before the others could ask what was taking so long, Joy wrote her name and decided to draw petals around the 'o.' As a last minute thought, she added a few small hearts and passed the marker off to Abigail. Watching her draw some intricate symbols, Joy immediately wished she had given it a little more thought. 

"Hey, you missed it," Abigail said to Sebastian when she was done, passing the marker to Sam as she spoke. "Joy was just telling us how this was the worst thing she's ever done."

"Didn't realize we were in the presence of a badass," Sebastian responded sarcastically, and Joy saw the first glimpse of happiness on his face. With a chuckle, she tucked away the bitter wish that it wasn't at her own expense.

Before she could defend herself, a fifth voice called out from outside of the factory. Everybody froze, watching as a flashlight beam stretched across the ground outside. Ducking beneath the window and sharing a panicked glance, Sam appeared beside Joy and whispered, "I bet they're blocking the entrance."

Without knowing if 'them' was the police or just a stranger, Joy sighed and shrugged off her jacket. "Which way is the back?"

As the voice got closer, the four of them shuffled to a broken window in the back and hopped out, hoping the impact was more muffled than it sounded. Joy led them to the fence and climbed to the top, draping her folded jacket over the barbed wire. Slowly bringing her feet as high along the fence as she could, she adjusted her grip on the jacket and jumped over the wire, hoping beyond hope she wouldn't make a fool of herself for a fourth time.

To her relief, she managed to jump the fence safely, and Sebastian was already jumping using his own jacket. Abigail followed him, pulling his jacket down with her, while Sam did the same with Joy's. Just as his feet hit the ground, another shout caught their attention, and the group ran into the trees.

\---

Joy's porch groaned beneath their weight as the stopped running, leaning against the banister or placing hands on their knees as they all tried to catch their breath. For a moment, only their labored breathing could be heard, occasionally drowning out even the loudest bugs around them.

When Sam straightened out and handed Joy her jacket, he looked away sheepishly. "Sorry, I think I tore it," he apologized. Warily, Joy eyed Sebastian as he put on his own sweatshirt (which was completely unscathed. Of course.).

"It's fine," She lied, already dreading the shoddy patch job she'd inevitably have to do. This jacket was clearly never going to be worn in public again. "Nothing a good ol' thread and needle can't fix."

"Weird that someone found us," Sebastian mused. "That's never happened before."

"Guess I was your bad luck charm."

"No," Abigail said, almost too quickly. "You did get us out of there, remember?"

"You would've figured it out yourselves eventually," Joy said. "But I'm glad I could help. Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem! Let us know if you wanna run away from the law like a bunch of stupid teens again," Abigail offered as the three clambered down the steps. Joy watched the other two nod and call out their goodbyes. With a warm feeling in her chest, she stayed on the porch and kept an eye on the group like a watchful mother until they disappeared down the path.

Even if Joy got started on the wrong foot, maybe the idea of friends in this town wasn't as far-fetched as she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do not try this at home
> 
> Not only should you not be doing things where you need to jump over fences but I don't actually know if a jacket would be thick enough to protect your hands I just saw it in a music video and wanted to write about it
> 
> Anyway yay! My longest chapter so far and like nothing happens in it ??? But I mean /I/ had fun writing it so.
> 
> There are lots of places where I'd like to leave my name amongst the hundreds already there but it seems like a lower thing to do by yourself lol
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed uwu bc I'm having a BLAST writing this! See you when my love for Sebastian manifests inside me once more (so like maybe tomorrow I dunno)


End file.
